Spring-rail railway-frog



1N0 Model.)

N. W. BOYD.

SPRING RAIL RAILWAY FROG.

No. 462,296. Patented Nov. 3,1891.

W m Z W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

NATHANIEL \V. BOYD, OF OARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPRING-RAIL RAILWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,296, dated November3, 1891.

Application filed March 24, 1891. $en'al No. 386,256. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL V. BOYD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin Spring-Rail Railway-Frogs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My present invention relates to improve ments in spring-railrailroad-frogs, which will be hereinafter fully explained.

In railway-frogs of that class which employ a spring-rail arrangednormally in contact with the point of the frog there is very little orno liability of accidents in running through the frog in the directionindicated by the arrow 1; but when a train moves in the reversedirection (indicated by the arrow 2) the spring-rail is liable to bemoved away from the point of the frog by false flanges on thedrive-wheels, which are formed by such wheels becoming worn or concavedon the tread, the false flanges of the drive'wheels fitting in the spacebetween the frog-point and spring-rail between the points 3 4:,(indicated in the drawings,) and operating to move the spring-rail awayfrom or exposing the point, thus allowing the drivers and wheels to dropdown upon the ties and cause the accident. In my improved frog forrailwayrails I obviate this difficulty by dropping or lowering the topsurface of the spring-rail or elevating the body of the frog above thespring-rail a distance sufficient to compensate for the depth of thefalse flanges on the drivers or wheels, so thatthe false flanges willnot penetrate or fit into the space between the frog-point andspring-rail; but the drivers and wheels pass readily over the frog-pointonto the spring-rail, and the false flanges thereafter bear against theoutside of the springrail and have a tendency to clamp or force thespring-rail against the frog-point. The point of the frog adjacent tothe springrail is beveled or inclined on its top surface,

, so that there is a gradual slope from the elevated part of thefrog-point to the springrail, to enable the car-wheels and drivers topass readily from the frog-point to the springrail without appreciableor undue jarring secure the bridle in place.

motion,and the point-rail adjacent to the spring-rail is stiffened andbraced by a re-enforcing plate bolted to the web of such pointrail. Asthe train passes from the point-rail onto the spring-rail the weight ofthe train, when the drivers and wheels pass over the spri ng-rail atabout the point 5, has a tendency to throw the free end of thespring-rail upwardly; and to overcome this objection I provide meanswhich operate to confine the free end of the spring-rail in its normalposition relatively to the body of the frog, and at the same time permitthe spring-rail to have the necessary movement or play laterally to thefrog-point. One embodiment of this means comprises a reinforce-platebolted to the web of the spring-rail, and having the end thereofadjacent to the free end of the spring-rail bent downward and inward toform a guide that extends underneath the body of the frog. This guideoperates to prevent the free end of the spring rail from jumping orlifting up when the weight of a car is imposed on the spring-rail, andit enables the spring-rail to have the necessary play laterally to thefrog-point. I also contemplate a novel form of spring-rail bridledesigned to prevent the spring-rail from creeping or gradually shiftingits position in relation to the frog-point when acted on by the falseflanges of the drivers and wheels, which bridle is doubled or bentaround a block or casting, and the bridle is confined in place on thestiff rail by a bolt which passes through the casting, the end of thebridle, and the web of the stiff rail, the block or casting serving in ameasure to clamp the bridle to the web of the stiff rail and thus morefirmly The other end of the spring-bridle extends along the web of thespring-rail to a point near the point-rails, and it is united to thespring-rail by a bolt which passes through the bridle, the web of thespring-rail, and the reeuforce thereof.

My invention further consists in the combination and organization ofdevices and detailed construction of parts, as will be more fullypointed out hereinafter.

To enable others to readily understand 111 y invention, I haveillustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I isa plan view of my railway-frog. Fig. II is a side elevation thereof.Fig. III is an enlarged sectional view taken horizontally through thewebs of the stiff rail and the spring-rail, the spring-bridle, and theblock or casting. FigIV is a vertical transverse sectional View on theplane indicated by the line a a of Fig. I. Fig. V is a similar sectionalView on the line b I) of Fig. I. Fig. V1 is another sectional view onthe line 0 c of Fig. I, and Fig. VII is another sectional view on theline dd of the same figure. Fig. VIII is a view in side elevation of oneof the point-raiis of the frog.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

A designates the spring-rail; B, the stiff rail, and O D thepoint-rails, which are inclined to meet each other and form the point ofthe frog, all of these rails being arranged in the manner familiar tothose skilled in the art to provide a frog which bears a resemblancesimilar to the ordinary spring-rail frog. These rails rest upon and aresupported by one or any desired number of plates E, two of which areshown in the accompanying drawings, although the number can be varied asdeemed necessary or desirable.

The point-rails C D .or body of the frog are elevated slightly above thespring-rail A, or the spring-rail may be depressed somewhat below thefrog-point, so that the upper surface of the spring-rail lies in ahorizontal plane below the top surface of the body of the frog to anextent equivalent to the depth of the false flanges on the drivers orwheels and thus prevent the false flanges from forcing between thespring-rail and the point-rail D. I prefer to place the spring-raildirectly on the plate E and to interpose a plate 6 between thepoint-rails and the plate E to elevate the point-rails slightly, asshown in the sectional view, Fig. VI, of the drawings. The differencebetween the height of the pointrails and spring-rail may be fromone-fourth (e) of an inch to three-eighths (it) of an inch; but theseproportions are not essential, as it is sufficient for the purposes ofmy invention that the spring-rail is low enough below the point for thefalse flanges on the drivers and wheels of a train to pass from thepoint-rails upon the spring-rail without penetrating between the rails Dand A. The top or uppersurface of the point-rail O, or the twopoint-rails O D, may slope or incline slightly'for a short distance asthe point-rails approach the springrail, as indicated at ff in Fig.VIII,and thus insure the car-wheels passing readily from or to thespring-rail without appreciable jar or undue strain and wear on therails.

-By constructing and arranging the pointrails and spring-rail, as hereinshown and described, I am enabled not only to prevent lateraldisplacement of the spring-rail by the action thereon of the falseflanges, and to insure the safe transit of the car-wheels without unduejar, but I am also able to utilize the false flanges on the drivers andwheels to' force or clamp the spring-rail laterally against thefrog-point after the false flan ge has passed the point of danger.

The spring-rail is held tightly against the frog-point by the tie-rodsand springs G G and H H, which are utilized in addition or auxiliary tothe tension or elasticity of the spring-rail itself. The tie-rod andsprings G G lie at a short distance in advance of the frog-point,andsaid rod G passes through the webs of the spring-rails and its headedends receive the coiled springs G G, which are inclosed within the casesor shells g g, also fitted on the tie-rod and held in place by fittingagainst the outer sides of thestiff and spring rails, as usual. Theother tie-rod H has a head it, which bears against the outer side of theweb of the stiff rail B, and said tie-rod H passes through the webs ofthe stiff rail B,thepointrails O D, and the spring-rail A, the other endof the tie-rod receiving the coiled spring H, which is inclosed withinthe shell or case h, and confined in place by the nuts 77. fitted on theend of said tie-rod H. also employ a spring-bridle I for preventing thespring-rail from creeping or gradually shifting its positionlongitudinally away from the frog-point'when acted on by the falseflanges on the drivers or wheels of the train. The spring-bridle I isclamped or held in place rigidly to the web of the stiff rail B by meansof a block or casting J arranged between the stiff and spring rails andin the horizontal plane of the webs of said rails. The one end of thespring-bridle is doubled (See Fig. VI.) I

IOC

or bent around the block or casting and fitted between said block andthe web of the stiff rail. The other end of the spring-bridle isextended along the web of the spring-rail to a point near the extremityof the point-rails O D, where said end of the spring-bridle is fastenedor secured to the spring-rail by a bolt j, (see Fig. 1H,) which'passesthrough the bridle, the web of the spring-rail, and the re-enforcepresently described. The block or casting in addition to bracing orstrengthening the connection of the spring-bridle to the stiff railperforms the function of a guard in preventing a mans foot gettingcaught in the space between the stiff and spring rails, and I provideanother guard-block K between the two point-rails O D for the purpose ofpreventing a foot from being caught between-the point-rails of the frog,said guard-block being suitably bolted to the point-rails.

I is the re-enforce to the free end of the spring-rail, which is appliedlaterallyagainst the web of said spring-rail on the outer side thereofand bolted through the web by suit-. This re-enforce has its endadjaforce, asit is evident that said arm can be made separate from there-enforce and rigidly fastened to the unconfined end of the springrail.This detaining or guide arm M closely embraces the foot of thespring-rail and extends under the point-rails C D, against the lowerside of which said arm bears or impinges, and the detaining-arm operatesto prevent the free end of the spring-rail from lifting or movingvertically under the influence of the weight of the train when thedrivers and wheels pass the point 5 on the springrail, and at the sametime the detaining-arm permits the spring-rail to have the necessaryplay or movement laterally to the frog-point. As a further precautionagainst upward play or spring of the spring-rail under the weight of atrain I employ the keepers N N, which are fixed to the bottom of thespring-rail and engage with the plate E by slide-joints to permit thespriiigrail to have the necessary lateral movement and prevent upwardplay of said spring-rail. These keepers are bolted or otherwise suitablyfastened to the foot of the spring-rail, and they are bent or curved totake under the fixed supporting-plate E in the manner shown in Fig. II.

To brace and strengthen the frog-pointat its weakest point where thedrivers and wheels pass from the point-rails to the spring-rail, or viceversa, I provide a re-enforce O, which is bolted laterally to thepoint-rail C and bears against the web of the said rail.

The usual keepers P are provided on the plates E, laterally of the railA, to limit the outward movement thereof from the frogpoint, and thepoint-rails are fastened to the stiff rail by the keyed bolts 0. (Shownin Figs. I and V.)

The operation and advantages of my improvements will be readilyunderstood and appreciated by those skilled in the art from theforegoing description taken in connection with the drawings.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and detailsof construction of the mechanism herein shown and described as anembodiment of my invention may be made, and I would therefore have itunderstood that I reserve the right to make such modifications as fairlyfall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spring-rail railway-frog having its point beveled or inclined onthe upper surface thereof, the spring-rail having its upper surfacelyingin a different horizontal plane relatively to the upper surface ofthe body of the frog, and the re-enforce united rigidly to the web ofthe spring-rail below the head thereof, combined with the detainingdevices M N, operating in conjunction with said spring-rail and abase-plate, substantially as described.

2. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with a spring-rail,of a plate rigid with said rail and having its free end bent or twistedto project under the body of the frog, substantially as described.

3. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with a spring-rail,of the re-enforce having its end bent or twisted to form adetaining-arm, which extends from the springrail under the point-railsof the frog, substantially as described.

4. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with a spring-rail,of a re-enforce bolted laterally to the web of the spring-rail, and thedetaining-arm rigid with the re-enforce which is carried by theunconfined end of the spring-rail and operating under the point-rails ofthe frog, substantially as described.

5. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with a spring-rail,of a re-enforce bolted to the web of the spring-rail and having its freeend formed into a detaining-arm which extends beneath the point-rails ofthe frog, substantially as described.

6. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with the point-rails,the spring-rail, and the bed-plate, of the re-enforce having thedetaining-arm carried by the spring'rail and operating beneath thepoint-rails, and the sliding keepers fixed to the spring-rail andengaging the bed-plate, substantially as described.

7 In a spring-rail railwayfrog, the combination, with the spring-railand the stiff rail, of the block united to the stiff rail, and thespring-bridle having one end confined between the stiif rail and theblock, and its other end fastened to the spring-rail, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the combination, with the spring-railand the stiff rail, of the block or casting, the spring-bridle havingone end doubled or bent around said block or casting and fitted betweensaid casting and the stiff rail, and a boltorbolts which unite thespring-bridle and casting to the stiff rai the other end of saidspring-bridle being fastened to the spring-rail, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a spring-rail railway-frog, the stifi rail, the spring-rail, thepoint-rails, theblock or casting between the spring and stiff rails, andserving as a guard, the spring-bridle having one end clamped between thestiff rail and casting and its other end fastened to the spring-rail,and the guard-block fixed between the point-rails, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NATHANIEL W. BOYD. Witnesses:

JOHN R. MILLER, EDW'ARD I. TODD.

